The anatomy of the face is pertinent for safe and effective placement of fillers and neuromodulators. A detailed understanding of facial blood vessels, nerves and musculature is essential to achieve consistent results when utilizing injecatbles in aesthetic medicine. In this blog I will highlight key anatomy in the forehead, cheeks, temple area, nasal area and perioral regions of the face.
The human face possesses over two dozen individual muscles on each side - upwards of 30, depending on how they are counted. The facial muscles are striated muscles that link the skin of the face to the bone of the skull to perform important functions for daily life, including mastication and expression of emotion. While the individual movements these muscles produce are varied and diverse, it ...
The most anterior region of the head is the face . The human face is a unique aspect of each individual. The face contains many structures that contribute to the display of emotions, feeding, seeing, smelling, and communicating. One of the most distinguishing qualities of the face is that it is used for personal identity from person to person. Identity is essential since the face is usually the first aspect of a human that is noticeable during encounters with other individuals.
The region that is considered the upper face starts from the hairline superiorly and ends just under the lower eyelid. The lateral borders of the upper face terminate around the temporal region. The upper face region contains the forehead, eyes, and temporal region.
The muscular layer of the upper face is underneath the fat pads. The procerus muscle occipitofrontalis muscle, depressor supercilii muscle, and corrugator supercilii muscle form the majority of the forehead, while the temporal part contains the temporalis muscle. The procerus muscle is shaped like a pyramid and spans from the inferior part of the nasal bone to the middle part of the forehead. The procerus muscle is situated between the eyebrows and attaches to the frontalis muscle. The contraction of the procerus muscle allows for the elevation of the eyebrows. The occipitofrontalis muscle spans the majority of the forehead. The occipitofrontalis muscle originated from the galea aponeurosis superiorly and inserts and blends into the orbicularis oculi muscle. When the occipitofrontalis muscle contracts, it elevates the eyebrows and wrinkles the forehead. The depressor supercilii muscle originates from the medial orbital rim and inserts at the medial part of the bony orbit. The action of the depressor supercilii muscle is to depress the eyebrows. The corrugator supercilii muscle is a small muscle that originated from the supraorbital ridge and inserts on the skin of the forehead close to the eyebrows. The contraction of the corrugator supercilii muscle results in the wrinkling of the forehead. The temporalis muscle originates from the parietal and sphenoidal bone. The temporalis muscle inserts on the coronoid process and the retromolar fossa. The contraction of the temporalis muscle results in the elevation and retraction of the mandible.
The anatomy of the face can divide into three main regions: upper face, middle face, and lower face . The entire face is covered by skin superficially, while the deep anatomy contains muscles, fat pads, nerves, vessels, and bones.
The knowledge of the anatomy of the face can guide clinicians in the avoidance of damage to crucial structures in the face during surgeries and injections in the face.
The face derives from the first two pharyngeal arches, neural crest cells, frontonasal prominence, medial nasal prominence, oropharyngeal membrane, and lateral nasal prominence. During week four of development, the oropharyngeal membrane breaks down to create the oral cavity. The frontonasal prominences develop into the forehead, bridge of the nose, medial nasal prominences, and lateral nasal prominences. The medial nasal prominences will further develop into the primary palate, philtrum, upper four incisors, and parts of the jaw. The lateral nasal prominences develop into the sides of the nose. The first pharyngeal arch will form the cheeks, lateral upper lip, lateral upper jaw, and secondary palate. The second pharyngeal arch will form the lower lip and jaw. All these structures form bilaterally and migrate toward the midline before fusing. [2]
The face is one of the most variable structures in humans. The face represents the identity of each person. Unfortunately, some individuals are born with congenital defects that alter the appearance of their face. And others suffer injuries or diseases that affect the way their face appears. And others alter the appearance of their faces with cosmetics products and procedures. The human face can also change over time as a person ages. The environment and lifestyle of an individual can manifest in changes in the face. For instance, a person exposed to UV light will have darkening of the skin, while an individual that consumes an excessive amount of calories may gain fat content in their face. For this reason, the human face is extremely variable, but the standard features such as the eyes, nose, and mouth are consistently present in most individuals.
This portion includes the facial region, which is divided into 5 bilateral and 3 median regions, and are named according to related superficial features (oral and buccal regions), deep soft tissue formations (parotid region), and skeletal features (orbital, infraorbital, nasal, zygomatic, and mental regions). The five bilateral regions are:
The head is divided into 14 regions, 8 of which belong to the face. These regions are:
The omoclavicular or subclavian triangle is indicated on the surface of the neck by the supraclavicular fossa. The inferior part of the external jugular vein crosses this triangle superficially, while the subclavian artery lies deep in it. These vessels are separated by the investing layer of deep cervical fascia.
The neck attaches the head to the trunk. It is, therefore, the transitional part of the body between the skull superiorly and the clavicles inferiorly that joins the head to the trunk and limbs. It serves as a major conduit for structures passing between them. Like the head, the neck also houses several vital organs and structures such as ...
This is a bilateral region named according to the bonny cavity, orbit. It includes its bony cavity and soft tissues and organs like the eyeball, extraocular muscles, eyelids, glabella, eyebrow, lacrimal glands, bulbar conjunctiva etc.
The five bilateral regions are: While the three median regions are named according to features or structures lying along the midline of the body and are the: Mental region. The following is a brief description of some of these head regions:
It houses the brain and therefore is the site of our consciousness: ideas, creativity, imagination, responses, decision making and memory. It includes special sensory receivers ( eyes, ears, mouth, and nose), broadcast devices for voice and expression, and portals for the intake of fuel (food), water and oxygen and the exhaust of carbon dioxide.
The most anterior region of the head is the face . The human face is a unique aspect of each individual. The face contains many structures that contribute to the display of emotions, feeding, seeing, smelling, and communicating. One of the most distinguishing qualities of the face is that it is used for personal identity from person to person. Identity is essential since the face is usually the first aspect of a human that is noticeable during encounters with other individuals.
The region that is considered the upper face starts from the hairline superiorly and ends just under the lower eyelid. The lateral borders of the upper face terminate around the temporal region. The upper face region contains the forehead, eyes, and temporal region.
The muscular layer of the upper face is underneath the fat pads. The procerus muscle occipitofrontalis muscle, depressor supercilii muscle, and corrugator supercilii muscle form the majority of the forehead, while the temporal part contains the temporalis muscle. The procerus muscle is shaped like a pyramid and spans from the inferior part of the nasal bone to the middle part of the forehead. The procerus muscle is situated between the eyebrows and attaches to the frontalis muscle. The contraction of the procerus muscle allows for the elevation of the eyebrows. The occipitofrontalis muscle spans the majority of the forehead. The occipitofrontalis muscle originated from the galea aponeurosis superiorly and inserts and blends into the orbicularis oculi muscle. When the occipitofrontalis muscle contracts, it elevates the eyebrows and wrinkles the forehead. The depressor supercilii muscle originates from the medial orbital rim and inserts at the medial part of the bony orbit. The action of the depressor supercilii muscle is to depress the eyebrows. The corrugator supercilii muscle is a small muscle that originated from the supraorbital ridge and inserts on the skin of the forehead close to the eyebrows. The contraction of the corrugator supercilii muscle results in the wrinkling of the forehead. The temporalis muscle originates from the parietal and sphenoidal bone. The temporalis muscle inserts on the coronoid process and the retromolar fossa. The contraction of the temporalis muscle results in the elevation and retraction of the mandible.
The anatomy of the face can divide into three main regions: upper face, middle face, and lower face . The entire face is covered by skin superficially, while the deep anatomy contains muscles, fat pads, nerves, vessels, and bones.
The knowledge of the anatomy of the face can guide clinicians in the avoidance of damage to crucial structures in the face during surgeries and injections in the face.
The face derives from the first two pharyngeal arches, neural crest cells, frontonasal prominence, medial nasal prominence, oropharyngeal membrane, and lateral nasal prominence. During week four of development, the oropharyngeal membrane breaks down to create the oral cavity. The frontonasal prominences develop into the forehead, bridge of the nose, medial nasal prominences, and lateral nasal prominences. The medial nasal prominences will further develop into the primary palate, philtrum, upper four incisors, and parts of the jaw. The lateral nasal prominences develop into the sides of the nose. The first pharyngeal arch will form the cheeks, lateral upper lip, lateral upper jaw, and secondary palate. The second pharyngeal arch will form the lower lip and jaw. All these structures form bilaterally and migrate toward the midline before fusing. [2]
The face is one of the most variable structures in humans. The face represents the identity of each person. Unfortunately, some individuals are born with congenital defects that alter the appearance of their face. And others suffer injuries or diseases that affect the way their face appears. And others alter the appearance of their faces with cosmetics products and procedures. The human face can also change over time as a person ages. The environment and lifestyle of an individual can manifest in changes in the face. For instance, a person exposed to UV light will have darkening of the skin, while an individual that consumes an excessive amount of calories may gain fat content in their face. For this reason, the human face is extremely variable, but the standard features such as the eyes, nose, and mouth are consistently present in most individuals.